Amurica, hell yeah!

Last week I went to Amurica. Definitely an impromptu trip having booked my tickets Tuesday afternoon and then leaving Victoria on Wednesday at 6am. After a 13 hour travel day, I got into State College, Pennsylvania, at 10pm on July 27th and Dee was there to pick me up. I stayed there less than 12 hours before we set tracks the next morning. Dee was finishing up a work project there and needed to transport a helicopter to Bakersfield, California for another work project.

Thursday morning, 8am we were on the tarmac and ready to go. Over 2.5 days, 20 hours of flying, 14 stops, Marshlands, the dessert, the Rocky Mountains and Cascade Mountains, the Grand Canyon, Vegas and we finally made it to Bakersfield. Here's some of the best pictures:

There's more pictures from Dee's camera that I'll upload when he gets back into town next week.

Keep thangs fresh,

JS

East Sooke

Last week, Dan and I went on an awesome hike around East Sooke. We brought along a lunch with some snacks and stopped at a bench on the coastline. We even had a contest to see who could spit our cherry-pits the furthest: Dan cheated and therefore I claim the title.

Tom and I did a hike here last year, but no where near as long as this one - 4 hours round trip, including lunch and random stops. I definitely need to come back and explore these trails more.

Stories are always better in picture form, so here they are:

Wussy in the cold water

"don't fall in.... look where you want to go"

On the main beach

hanging around the shoreline

Keep it fresh,

J

Bike Lanes

Taken from Stuckylife.com, the youtube clip about bike lanes in New York almost made me pee my pants laughing so hard. Check it out here.

Dear body: Thank you for choosing to live

I have now spent a total of 40 consecutive hours in bed (minus the trips to the bathroom, and occasionally struggling out the front door for some fresh air). Ah, food poisoning, I haven't had you in so long I forgot what it feels like. Reminder to you all: Worst experience of my life.

Now that my face has returned it's colour and I'm thanking my body for choosing to live, I can now keep down juice and some lighter-foods (but foods none-the-less). Woooo!

Trying to figure out where I picked this up from, Monday night's bbq steak is the only thing I can pin it down to. Weird, huh? I didn't know it was possible to get food poisoning from steak, but I guess anything is possible. As I've also been fighting off a pretty bad cold, I feel like I was getting kicked while I was down.

I'm in better spirits today. I'm taking a Theatre Appreciation class and I have to perform a play on Friday. I'm relieved that I am on the mend and hopefully everything will go off without a hitch. In the meantime, I'm still on the couch recovering.... visitors are welcome. I like popsicles and ice cream.

Awesome, in full force

It's the Year of Jenny. Yep, you heard it here..... well, second. Taken from my good friend, Jenny Scott, I'm using this expression and making it my own. Simply said, this year is going to be all about the things that will make me a better Jenny; friends, adventures, traveling, and the rest of life somewhere in the mix.

Here are some highlights and future goals for 2011:

-First mtb race - 2 flats, still finished.

-Uvic development rowing team winning streak, including Elk Lake Spring Regatta, CRUSHED Oregon State University.

-GRADUATION, June 2011! Wooooooo

-Won a week resort vacay at destination of choice.

-Tom/Jenny trip to Guatemala, December 2011!

-Get my ass kicked in the 2011 racing season, but still have tonnes of fun! VCLs, Island Cups, X on the Rock!

-Girls Vegas Trip, October

-Visit Dr. Skinner in San Fran, November!?

-Apply for international exchange - Masters/B.Ed

Like I said before, the Year of Jenny. It's going to be a good year.

Reminiscent...

As I sit here on my couch, early December, I'm trying to push myself to start my term paper. I look for distractions; something that will help me procrastinate.

Ah, I've found it: Pictures! I love looking through old pictures. Skimming through folder after folder, I've been here for about an hour. I stumble across my Hawaii folder, and got a huge grin on my face. I remember the feel of the warm sun on my skin, the tower of power, the row boat, lavajava, the frigid Hilo pool, "prairie doggin' it", Safeway sandwiches, Jamba Juice, and many others...

I could say way more, but pictures are always more fun. Here's some of my faves:

Next adventure, 2011!?!?

JS

Ouch

A couple days ago at the shop, I went to open a drawer (which notoriously gets stuck) and my nail got snagged and pulled partially off. The darker side around the edge is actually bruised skin. It hurt at the time, but now it's all good and feels numb. I'm still deciding if that's a good or bad thing.

Anyways, I thought I would share with pictures:

I think it's actually kinda neat, in a weird way. But definitely not as neat as Gillian's thumb, which she got caught in her chain and cassette a couple years ago. Here, take a look:

Tomorrow, I head for Europe. Wish me luck and keep thangs fresh.

JS